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Israel’s only female prime minister defends her clouded legacy in this engrossing portrait backboned by a surprisingly candid, unaired TV interview buttressed by testimonials from devotees and detractors alike, which charts Golda’s trailblazing rise to power and her tragic demise.

The silver screen’s biggest star savagely mocks the 20th century’s worst monster in this bold, satirical tour-de-force. A personal takedown of Hitler even before America’s entry into WWII, Chaplin makes no bones about his utter contempt for the fascist leader. His first true talkie, an audacious amalgam of slapstick, politics, tragedy and romance, culminates in one of cinema’s starkest scenes: the comic actor’s deadly-serious, character-breaking speech pleading for tolerance. Chaplin’s hit is ranked among the all-time greatest comedies.

Some of Hollywood’s famed filmmakers, including Jewish emigres William Wyler and Billy Wilder, risk everything in a campaign to rally America behind the war effort. Seeking to foil Hitler’s pervasive propaganda, the government sent documentary crews to war zones to collect tales of heroism, the celluloid chronicling the democratic ideals for which the Allies fought.

The Catholic Church’s response to the Holocaust is examined via historic film, rare documents and current interviews, revealing a failure of moral authority. Pope Pius XI overtly decried the anti-Semitism of 1938 Germany, but his successor took a starkly different stance. What more might the Church have done to halt the Final Solution and help Europe’s Jews? As the Vatican prepares to open its secret WWII archives in March 2020, this timely exposé examines all sides of a hotly debated topic.

A successful but stifled Russian-Jewish comedian cracks under the mounting pressure of personal insecurities and state censorship, in this smart, decidedly non-comedic social satire. After failing as a writer, Boris succeeds doing stand-up, but his creativity is stifled under mid-‘80s Soviet repression. Summoned like a court jester by the KGB, and finally pushed to the edge by the decadence and despotism of the ruling elite, events culminate in a revenge-soaked twist worthy of Shakespeare.

Israel’s Oscar submission, a riveting psychological thriller, dramatizes the motives behind Prime Minister Rabin’s 1995 assassination. Told through the perpetrator’s eyes, the zealot is egged on by national leaders, religious orthodoxy, and right-wing media. With an unnerving central performance, this rigorously researched portrait was Israel’s Best Film winner.

After 50 years amassing random items in his Lower Manhattan mansion, revered photographer Jay Maisel plans to depart his Bowery nest. His iconic work includes magazine and album covers, advertising, and street photography. A compulsive collector, he crammed every corner of “The Bank”—his 72-room dwelling—with copious miscellany. But as it’s emptied, a melancholy Maisel waxes philosophical, resulting in an affectionate ode to a noteworthy life, the attritions of age, and the end of an era.

An ex-Nazi plays soccer for salvation in this rousing, romantic, epic true story. No longer a British POW, the Manchester City team hires Bert Trautmann as goalkeeper, where he arouses the interest of the club manager’s daughter, and the post-war ire of fans. Famously playing the ‘56 FA Cup Final with a broken neck, Trautmann’s tale tells of how sports can unite.

Edward Norton helms and co-stars in this sweet, spiritual comedy about an unusual love triangle: a rabbi and priest fall for the same woman. Friends since childhood, Brian (Norton) and Jake (Ben Stiller) are now servants of God. Their lives are upended with the return of Anna (Jenna Elfman), who’s become a high-powered workaholic beauty. Both are enchanted by her, sparking rivalry and dilemmas, in this fresh and funny date movie with a stellar supporting cast: Anne Bancroft, Milos Forman, Ron Rifkin, and Eli Wallach.

In this fond farewell to a community fixture, a favorite West Hollywood diner serves its final meals. Since 1947, an eclectic mix of folks ate at Ed’s Coffee Shop, an old-school breakfast and lunch nook, first owned by Ed Blumstein and then his daughter. But after nearly 60 years, it’s closing, a victim of shifting demographics and competition. Hit hard by the news, close-knit staff and loyal customers share memories over last servings of classic comfort food. Former Ed’s regulars, Oscar nominees Lawrence Kasdan and wife Meg, direct this intimate passion project.

Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa reveal the intrinsic bigotry and harsh conditions they found upon landfall in 1950s Israel. Arriving during a time of poverty and austerity, Jews seeking shelter in the Promised Land instead were forced into ma’abarot, remote shantytowns of tents and sheds. Already dispirited, they waited days for food, showers and toilets. An ignored chapter of Israeli history, troubling testimony is illustrated with archival film and photos.

Jewish soul and Cuban song mesh on the dance floor in this wistful look at the mambo mania that swept the nation in the ‘50s. Jewish Americans fell for Havana’s hot mix of sultry Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms in neon-splashed New York, Miami’s art deco hotels, and the Catskills resorts. Against a big band soundtrack, the free-spirited mamboniks colorfully recall their love affair with the Cuban dance craze.

Latvia’s Oscar entry, this gripping, ominous drama tells of real worker Žanis Lipke—Latvia’s Schindler—honored for his courage during WWII. Žanis and his wife are unlikely heroes, suffering under the Soviets and Germans. When the Nazis begin moving Jews from a nearby ghetto into forced-labor camps, Žanis embarks on a covert mission to save them from certain death.

In this sorrow-tinged romantic comedy, Parisian newlyweds travel to Poland, their honeymoon awkwardly doubling as a bid to reconnect with their Jewish heritage and homeland. Unable to bridge past and present in this strange yet familiar land, the eye-opening journey doesn’t go as planned. Awash with offbeat characters and absurd vignettes, this life-affirming charmer, a Moscow Film Festival FIPRESCI Critics prizewinner, movingly conveys the void sometimes experienced by third-generation survivors.

British-born neurologist and literary giant Oliver Sacks is posthumously feted in this profoundly engaging, deeply personal memoir. Known by the film Awakenings, early fame came from his brilliant writings on cognitive disorders and natural world splendors. Sacks battled drugs, homophobia, and a skeptical medical establishment, and after a terminal diagnosis, vividly faces the meaning of his existence.

Diane Kruger is an undercover Israeli spy in this complex espionage thriller about a Westerner-turned-rogue Mossad agent caught in international conspiracy. When she vanishes, Thomas (Martin Freeman), a British Jew, retraces her steps: Will her transgressive affair undermine a plot to sabotage Iran’s nuclear plan? This authentic portrayal of modern spy craft is based on the Israeli novel The English Teacher.

A poor, nameless Jewish boy faces humanity’s worst on a trek across war-torn Eastern Europe, in this wrenching, but stunning Holocaust epic, the Czech Oscar entry. Ambling alone in the frantic final days of Nazi occupation, he meets ignorant peasants and ruthless soldiers’ extreme depravity: only meager acts of grace offer hope of catharsis. This unflinching depiction of evil, based on Jerzy Kosiński’s controversial novel, is not for the faint-hearted.

On their community’s behalf, two young Ethiopian men rally support for immigration to Israel. Roughly 9,000 Ethiopian Jews observe religious customs, yet Israel still denies their birthright return. Desperate to be heard, Demoz and Gezi go to America to find advocates for their cause, confronting homesickness, culture shock, and the frustrations of a grassroots effort. Their journey reveals the thorny politics of Ethiopian Jewry and the Zionist ideal.

An idealistic rabbi brings Hasidic Judaism to Big Sky country, getting a mixed reaction from locals. Rabbi Chaim Bruk and family left Brooklyn’s bustle for Bozeman, Montana. Founding the state’s first Chabad center, he sets out to affix a mezuzah on every Jewish doorpost, but his big persona and proselytizing tactics are challenged by rabbis and Jewish neighbors. When neo-Nazism looms, ideological differences come to the fore. Gorgeous scenery lends a stunning backdrop to this appealing profile of religious pioneers in the American West.

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The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is an independent non-profit arts organization that continues an active partnership with its founding agency,
American Jewish Committee. Both organizations share a common commitment to strengthen Jewish life and foster intergroup understanding among
Atlanta's diverse cultural, ethnic and religious populations.

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